Punctuation Formulas

1.  S;S
•  Sentence /semicolon/ sentence
It is raining outside; our picnic is cancelled.
2. S, conj S
•  Sentence/comma/conjunction sentence
It looked cloudy outside, so I brought my umbrella.
F.A.N.B.O.Y.S
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
F. A. N. B. O. Y. S
3.  LB, S
Left branch/comma sentence
(Subordinate or dependent clause/comma sentence)
•  Begins with subordinate conjunction
Although it is raining, we are still going out to play.
4.  S;SC, S
•  Sentence/semicolon/connector/
comma/sentence
He did well in English this year; therefore, he’s been offered a scholarship to Yale.
5. NP, APP, Verb phrase
•  Noun or noun phrase/comma/
Appositive/Verb phrase
Billy Bob, my next door neighbor, is constantly throwing parties.
6. A, B, conj C
•  A list of nouns, verbs, or adjectives.
He wants to run, jump, and frolic in the fields.
Sam’s hair is soft, silky, and shiny.
7. Cor S, cor S
•  Correlative sentence/comma/
correlative sentence
Not only is Kyle rich, but he’s also very smart.
Either Erin will pass this exam, or her mom will go crazy!
Neither Either Not only
nor
or
but also